Black Myth: Wukong’s impact is more important than any award

digitaltrends.com:

More than any other game released in 2024, Black Myth: Wukong took the world by storm. The action-adventure title from Game Science, a Chinese developer, annihilated Steam records in August, peaking at over 2.4 million concurrent players. It comfortably sits in second place among its contemporaries, according to SteamDB. Most recently, Game Science reached another milestone by winning Best Action Game and the Player’s Voice voting at The Game Awards.

While Black Myth: Wukong is an adaptation of the classic Chinese novelJourney to the West, it has an entirely different narrative hook: a continuation of the tale itself, set centuries after the adventures of Tang Sangzang, Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, and Sha Wujing. In it, you play as the Destined One, tasked with finding the six relics left behind by the Monkey King, Sun Wukong, in an effort to revive him.

The premise seems simple enough and yet, nearly 60 hours later, Black Myth: Wukong remains one of the most memorable games I’ve played this year. That’s partly because of its high production values, as well as its wealth of bosses and secrets. But part of my appreciation is for the cultural moment it’s sparked. I’m a Filipino who lives in the Philippines, and I can’t help but feel hopeful about a new era of games from underrepresented Asian countries.

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Wukong’s cultural impact

For decades, gamers from my part of the world usually had a select few options when it came to AA or AAA premium/paid titles: Japan and the West. That’s it. Our peoples are surrounded by free-to-play offerings and gacha games or, because of the lack of proper